Web API and a sqlserver sqlconnection

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WebAPI

I'm new to WebAPI but have done MVC in the past. I created 2 projects WebServiceAlpha that houses the "backend" and EF etc, and WebServiceBeta that "uses" the Alpha.
In WebServiceBeta, I'm trying to create a data access layer so I created a class called DAL and it's very simple. I have the SqlConnection, but any attempt to code anything else results in "The name j does not exist in the current context".
All I'm trying to do is to connect to the database.

What I have tried:

namespace WebServiceBeta
{    
    public class DAL
    {
        SqlConnection j = new SqlConnection(@"data source=***;initial catalog=CRUDDB;User id=***;password=***;MultipleActiveResultSets=True");
        j.  // The name 'j.' does not exist in the current context
    }
}

On the controller; however, the connection works fine:

public ActionResult Index( FormCollection frm )
 {
     SqlConnection j = new SqlConnection(@"data source=**;initial catalog=CRUDDB;User id=**;password=**;MultipleActiveResultSets=True")
     //Enumerable<mvcEmployeeModel> empList;
     j.Open();  // THIS WORKS FINE
     if ( j.State==ConnectionState.Open)
     {
         ViewBag.CnState = "Yea - I'm open!";
     }

Is there something else I'm missing? I can't imagine it being a "using" issue, I've added System.Data.SqlClient and System.Data.